CTU Stands in Solidarity With Home Care Workers in Wake of Harris v. Quinn Ruling

by ctu communications | 06/30/2014

CHICAGO—Today, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis released the following statement upon the announcing of the Harris v. Quinn ruling:

“This unfortunate court decision will not deter Illinois health workers from fighting for democracy and employment security, nor deter consumers who deserve to have quality health care services. It is ironic that this ruling comes as the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act in which hard-won gains are slowly being rolled back.

“It is therefore fitting that I echo the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said: ‘In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, as "right-to-work,” it provides no "rights" and no "works." Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining…. We demand this fraud be stopped….’

“Harris v. Quinn proves that organized labor must be vigilant and deliberate in our fight against the right-to-work efforts trying to muddy our state and disrupt the quality of life for thousands of citizens. The CTU joins our brothers and sisters impacted by this ruling and stand in solidarity in this fight for economic and social justice.”

Chicago Teachers Union affiliations include the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL), the Illinois State Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (ISFL-CIO), the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).